Hi Rebecca, I just logged into my Windows 10 PC and it looks like the anniversary update has been applied and I have the updated Start menu you eluded to. The good news is that the Cortana search box is still there. So, the process of opening the Start menu and performing a search has not change. What has changed is where you will find other Start menu elements that used to be at the bottom of the first column. Here is a quick rundown of the changes: 1. When you open the Start menu, you will now find three columns instead of two. 2. At the top of column one (you can get to it by Tabbing), you will find the Settings hamburger menu. They call it a hamburger menu because visually it is represented by three horizontal lines (i.e. top bun, burger, bottom bun). It doesn't actually say Settings anywhere. 3. When you activate the Settings menu, it will expand and give you access to the stuff that used to be at the bottom of column one of the old style Windows 10 start menu (e.g. File Explorer, Settings and Power). These items are presented in a vertical list you can Arrow through. Please note that you can't wrap around when you get to the bottom or top. 4. At the top of column two is the Most used and Suggested apps lists. This is the same as before. Below these items is the All apps list. And, as you pointed out, the full list of apps is automatically displayed without having to activate an All apps button. The All apps button is gone. 5. In the third column, you still have a two dimensional grid of apps that have been pinned to the Start menu. I personally recommend removing all items from this area as it can be difficult to navigate and find items here. This customization will simplify the Start menu and make it only two columns. Bottom line for me, the search box is still probably the fastest and most efficient way to find and open a program. And, it might take an extra step or two to get to the Settings app or Shut down options in the Start menu. But, there are other ways you can access these items such as hotkeys or the Quick Access menu. Best, Marc -----Original Message----- From: Talk [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Rebecca Lineberger via Talk Sent: Tuesday, August 2, 2016 9:20 AM To: Window-Eyes Discussion List <[email protected]> Subject: For the computer geeks on the list,
Here's a link that discusses changes in the August 2nd upgrade. Two changes of possible interest: The reviewer from Computer World says: "Probably the best change is that the All Apps list appears when you click the Start button, so that you immediately see an alphabetical, scrollable list of all the apps and desktop applications on your PC. Before this, you had to first click the Start button, then click All Apps. Saving a single click might not sound that important, but until this update, I rarely found myself using All Apps. Now I use it all the time." Nice for him, perhaps, but I want the search box when I press the Windows key! We'll see. Also, he says: "There's one change to Cortana that a lot of people might not like: You can't remove it or turn it off. Before this update you could go to Cortana's settings and move the slider from On to Off. No longer. Now Cortana is always on. However, you can limit what the digital assistant knows about you. Click in the Cortana search bar, then click the Settings icon (it looks like a cog) on the left side of the pane that appears. Turn off what you see there, such as your search history, device history and so on." I know Window-Eyes disables Edge as the default browser in the search box for us. It would be great if it also kept the start search box when we press the Start menu key. But we'll have to wait and see how this works. For more: http://www.computerworld.com/article/3101968/microsoft-windows/review-window s-10-anniversary-update-good-bad-meh-video.html Rebecca A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it isn't open. _______________________________________________ Any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Ai Squared. For membership options, visit http://lists.window-eyes.com/options.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com/msolomon%40aisquared.com. For subscription options, visit http://lists.window-eyes.com/listinfo.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com List archives can be found at http://lists.window-eyes.com/private.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com _______________________________________________ Any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Ai Squared. For membership options, visit http://lists.window-eyes.com/options.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com/archive%40mail-archive.com. For subscription options, visit http://lists.window-eyes.com/listinfo.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com List archives can be found at http://lists.window-eyes.com/private.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com
